Musket Ball?

[brianc053]

Hi everyone. Quick question for the firearms / ammo experts out there, since I know very little about this topic: is this little round ball a "roundball" i.e. musket ball?

It looks to be 0.49 caliber (but maybe that can be fired from a 0.50 caliber musket?), and it looks to have a seam and a rough texture. When I've found buck-and-ball shotgun balls they've been very uniform, but this one's rough texture and patina have me thinking it might be older.

Any information you can share would be appreciated, thanks!

- Brian

 

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[Kype]

yes. a .50 caliber muzzleloader will take a .49 caliber ball because the patch thats used with the ball makes up for it.

so, ball + patch = .50 cal.

in your first picture it appears that your caliper is not touching the ball. the ball is probably a little smaller then .49

 

[CreakyDigger]

Round balls were sometimes carried in the mouth and can have nicks and such from that.

 

[Digger RJ]

Hi everyone. Quick question for the firearms / ammo experts out there, since I know very little about this topic: is this little round ball a "roundball" i.e. musket ball?

It looks to be 0.49 caliber (but maybe that can be fired from a 0.50 caliber musket?), and it looks to have a seam and a rough texture. When I've found buck-and-ball shotgun balls they've been very uniform, but this one's rough texture and patina have me thinking it might be older.

Any information you can share would be appreciated, thanks!

- Brian


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Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[l.cutler]

Definitely too small to be a musketball, but a muzzleloading round ball for sure. Most likely for a rifle, but could have been a pistol. No way to say for sure on that.

 

[CRUSADER]

I'm going with pistol shot.

 

[l.cutler]

Could be pistol, just odds are more in favor of rifle. Both were in the same calibers, but rifles were just much more common in this country than pistols. About every farm had a rifle, not so much with pistols.